Kōtoku-in

Great Buddha (Daibutsu), Kamakura Kamakura became Japan's political center when Minamoto Yoritomo chose it as the seat of his new military government in the late 12th century, and this bronze Amida Buddha, cast in 1252, is the most striking survivor of that era. At 11.4 meters it has long been the second-tallest bronze Buddha in Japan, and it has sat in the open air since typhoons and a tsunami destroyed its hall in the 14th and 15th centuries. For a small extra fee on top of the entry ticket you can step inside the hollow statue. Kamakura is just under an hour from Tokyo Station on the JR Yokosuka Line, and the Buddha is a 5 to 10 minute walk from Hase Station on the Enoden Line.